The Nerd Can Dance

Auditions

"You go girl!"Lyla yelled as I finished my dance down in her dance studio. Her family has money, so when we were about twelve we begged to turn the basement into a dance studio since it was being used for nothing. It took a while but when it was finished we stayed down here for days. We haven't stopped using it ever since so we've gotten the speaker system and mats for tricks. We could run a small kids class or something if we want to.

"Thanks." I stopped the music and sat down. Running it almost ten times sounded like a good idea. And it will pay off, I won't forget when I step onto the stage to the audition."I think hip hop is the better option."

"But you're amazing at contemporary and jazz." She said as she sat down near me and started to stretch.

"Yeah but they're supposed to have those in the workshops. If I make it pass auditions then they'll see what I can do during the workshops."

"When. You mean When. It's an arts school. Sure they publicize the contemporary and jazz a lot more than hip hop. And when you do it I want to join in on the fun."

"Hey you're like amazing at tap, I suck at it. You should audition."

"Nope, sorry, I'm good with my afternoon classes. I love dancing but you where born to. How your parents don't see that is just stupid."

"We both know that they stopped watching me dance when I was eight. If they found out I was doing this they'd flip." Together we sat down on the floor. I put my knees to my chest. "I mean...it be a year and a half at an art school if I get in. But to them, that's my life down the toilet. They think you can only be successful in life one way. I swear I hate them sometimes."

"You don't hate them. You just...they don't understand you. Let's face it, from the beginning you've always butted heads with them. I still wonder some days if you weren't switched at birth."

"I'm not... I checked." It wasn't a lie. The thought came to me a while ago. Thanks to Leo, my chemistry partner who's dad works as a lab tech and can run DNA test, I found out for sure. I got my hair sample and my parents. Getting the results that I really was their daughter I didn't respond what some might call ladylike. I have the mouth of a sailor's and shock myself sometimes.

I mean I was relieved but I'm not going to lie. I had a small hope that my real dad was like a crazy musician and my real mom was an amazing beautiful dancer. I basically would have been born to do music or dance. And that the kid they had was really my parent's wet dream. That she was their perfect daughter.

"I don't blame you." Lyla put her hand on my arms. "Also, I know one of these day's you're going go completely off on them. I mean full on yelling."

"I hope not. They may kick me out."

"Then you move in with me, what's wrong with that?" she asked. I smiled and rolled my eyes. I stood and got ready to run it again.

***

I walked through the door of the theater that the school rented out for the audition. The lines were long and when I heard some commotion by the wall I knew Lucas was already here. By the time I got to the table I gave them the paper that had the forged signatures and the music for my routine. They handed me a number and I pinned it to my shirt. I got ready to warm up in a free area in the hall and I noticed a few kids from school who gave me wired looks. I just rolled my eyes and stretched. I kept my headphones in as I went about my own business.

When I noticed everyone walking into the theater I walked in a took a seat near the back. I watched as a man in a suit and tie walked up onto the stage and I watched as the cameras came out.

"Welcome Dancers." Everyone cheered. Everyone yelled and cheered. "Awesome!" the man said after the cheering died down. "I'm Principal Clayton. I'm happy to see this competition have such an amazing turnout. Now we have four top judges. They'll be judging everything. Now, this is a contest. We'll choose the top hundred today. Then Friday and the weekend we've got dance boot camps. We want to see what you kids can do. We love making everything a challenge. From that point, we'll choose the top thirty. Then we'll have eliminations every week till we're left with our top six. So...let's get this competition started."